Power Play 26: Checkmate Challenge – essential knowledge

Publisher: Chessbase, 2018, DVD

Checkmate. That’s the aim of the game. There are numerous ways to checkmate the enemy king, but there are common patterns that recur over and over again, and having these at our mental fingertips is essential for when we want to finish the game.

From Beginner to Brain-buster
On this DVD 100 puzzles are presented, divided into 10 groups of 10 positions. Naturally, Level 1 is the easiest, and the puzzles increase in difficulty right through to Level 10. From beginner to brain-buster. You can jump in at whatever level you wish, but try to solve all ten positions on each level before you move on to the next.

Instant feedback
After each puzzle is presented, you have to play out the solution on the board. Daniel King will tell you whether your move is correct in a video afterwards. It might help if you set up the positions on a real chess set rather than trying to solve the positions from the screen – analysing with a real chess set is more like a real game situation.   

Typical motifs
The checkmating motifs that you’ll encounter here are quite typical (most come from real games). Knowledge of these ideas is not only essential, but you are going to encounter some beautiful ideas.

So, concentrate, have fun and enjoy discovering the checkmates!

• Video running time: 5 hours 51 min (English) 
• Interactive training including video feedback
• Extra: additional database with mating excercises
• Including CB 14 – Reader

Daniel King is a Grandmaster from England. He has been a professional chessplayer for over 25 years representing his country on numerous occasions. Acclaimed as a coach, broadcaster, and commentator of major tournaments, he is one of the few professional players able to break down and explain complex concepts.

The Power Play DVD series covers openings, middlegames, endgames, strategy and tactics.

System requirements:

Minimum: Pentium III 1 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Windows 8.1, DirectX9 graphic card with 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, Windows Media Player 9 and internet connection for program activation. Recommended: PC Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows 10, DirectX10 graphic card (or compatible) with 512 MB RAM or better, 100% DirectX10 compatible sound card, Windows Media Player 11, DVDROM drive and internet connection for program activation.